Same sex wedding | Gary & Jeff

Same-Sex wedding photography at Cissbury Barns

Timing a wedding day is tricky – an early ceremony or a late one? Gary and Jeff had opted for a comparatively late ceremony at Cissbury Barns, at 4 pm. It proved to be a fortuitous decision, as much of the day saw heavy rain. (I’ve shot in the rain at Cissbury before). The rain tailed off, just as the wedding guests arrived at Cissbury. It may not have been the warm summer’s day they had dreamed of, but the rain held off and the sun made a very brief appearance before it dipped behind the South Downs.

Getting ready at the pub

Coverage kicks off, at The Lamb in Angmering, just a few minute’s drive from Cissbury. A bedroom and a ‘dressing room’, where Gary and Jeff could hang out with friends before they helped them get dressed and ready. Then a taxi ride across to meet the registrar, as the guests gathered in the ceremony barn. A few tears already and a few more, from Gary, as they got out of the car and walked towards the barn. They entered the barn together. Greeted by family and friends, for an emotional wedding ceremony. Vows made, rings exchanged – they left the barn and the guests gathered on the grass, ready for the confetti run! Drinks and canapes to follow. Plus the visit of their dog, Berkley.

(Now at this point, I thought I had a story about how it was via dogs that Gary and Jeff had found my work. Most of my enquiries/bookings for wedding photography come from word of mouth, some from google, some from social media, like Instagram. It was Jeff who had first sent me a message, to my personal Instagram page, which is mostly pictures of my own dog, asking about the forest I walked him in. Turns out though, that Gary had already found my website, via Google, so that kills off ‘the booking via the wrong Instagram page’ theory.)

A wedding without any formality

Food was via the mobile Diner in the courtyard – burgers and curry. This was a same-sex wedding without fuss.  No seating plan, just join the queue, find a place at the tables and enjoy the day. Dessert then arrived via a 1930s ice cream van. A chance for a few pictures with the setting sun, as the room was turned around and the band tried to set up, amidst power outages and a crowd very eager to dance, but not too bothered about any soundchecks. The band managed to hold them off until they had done some testing…

Here are a few images from this same-sex wedding at Sussex wedding venue, Cissbury Barns…